Fluid logic vortex apparatus



FLUID LOGIC VORTEX APPARATUS Filed Sept. 16, 1964 I "23 21 t; 26 29 6 I 17 27 s LL W L- 1 SOURCE 13 h "M 'I i. I 12 O c1 c2 c3 c4 P03 c1= PS =0 P 02 LAMINAR A TURBULENT REGION REGION PO PCI c1 c2 c3 01 P :CONSTANT INVENTORS HAROLD L. FOX

ATTORNEY V bination vortex United States Patent O 3,336,931 FLUID LOGIC VORTEX APPARATUS Harold L. Fox, Gale H. Thorne, Sr., and Orin L. Wood, Salt Lake City, Utah, assignors to Sperry Rand Corporation, Great Neck, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 396,886 3 Claims. (Cl. 137-815) This invention relates to pure fluid logic devices and particularly to a pure fluid amplifier that can function as an OR device, an AND device, a proportional amplifier or serve to increase the output pressure of a turbulence amplifier NOR device.

Prior art turbulence type fluid amplifiers cannot operate effectively in a proportional mode or as an AND or as an OR device. Further, the maximum output pressure of a turbulence amplifier is only about one-half that of the vortex type amplifier of the present invention.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a vortex amplifier device capable of providing a plurality of logic functions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pure fluid logic device capable of providing AND, OR, and improved NOR functions.

The above objects are accomplished by combining vortex and laminar-turbulent flow by utilizing a vortex amplifier in combination with a turbulence amplifier.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram in perspective of a comand turbulence amplifier;

FIG. 2 is a graph showing characteristic curves of output pressure P versus input pressure P at constant control pressure P and FIG. 3 is a graph showing characteristic curves of output pressure P versus control pressure P at constant control pressure P and constant input pressure P Referring to FIG. 1, two collinear conduits and 11 are spaced by approximately 1 inch with the inside diameter of the conduits 10 and 11 being about 30 mils, for example. The collinear conduits 10 and 11 are coaxial along the axis of symmetry 12 of a hollow cylindrically shaped vortex chamber 13. The inside height of the cylinder 13 may be approximately /8 inch with the inside diameter being approximately 1 inch. Spaced end walls 14 and 15 of the cylinder 13 have a centrally disposed input opening 16 and output port 17, respectively, located therein concentric with the axis 12. The input conduit 10 projects into the opening 16 with the end 20 of the conduit 10 protruding slightly into the interior of the chamber 13. The other extremity of the conduit 10 is connected to a source 21 of constant input pressure fluid P One or more control fluid conduits 22 terminate in respective ports 23 in the peripheral wall 24 of the vortex chamber 13. A source 25 of control pressure fluid P is connected to the other extremity of the control conduit 22. A control conduit 22 may have an inside diameter of, for example, about mils and serve to provide a control flow emanating from the port 23 which is tangential to the peripheral wall 24 of the cylinder 13 thereby creating a fluid cortex within the chamber 13.

One or more control conduits 26 are arranged with their axes of symmetry perpendicular to the axis 12 and disposed between the end wall 15 of the chamber 13 and the output conduit 11 so that the control fluid flow emanating from the output port 27 of the conduit 26 intersects the flow between the conduits 10 and 11, in a manner to be more fully explained. The other extremity of the control conduit 26 is connected to a source 28 of control signal fluid flow P The distal extremity of the output conduit 11 with respect to the a signal utilization device 29 output pressure flow P from chamber 13 is connected to which is responsive to the the output conduit 11.

3,336,931 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 It will be appreciated that the dimensions given above are not critical but merely serve as typical examples. For an optimized vortex amplifier, the dimensions will vary depending upon the pressure, temperature, and type of fluid used. The restriction of dimensions is such that the inside diameters of the conduits 10 and 11 and their distance of separation are restricted to values that define a laminar flow to be established between conduits 10 and 11 in the absence of interference from the control signal source P In operation, an input flow is applied to conduit 10 from source 21 at an input pressure P,. The flow continues along the axis 12 through the hollow cylinder 13 exiting through the port 17. A portion of this flow is captured by the output conduit 11 at a pressure P suflicient to be useful in the utilization apparatus 29. With a control signal applied from the control source 25 at a con trol pressure P control fluid flow emanates from the control .port 23 that is tangential to the cylinder wall 24. This control flow produces a vortex within the vortex chamber 13 and provides a control flow which follows a spiral path that exits through the output port 17 along with the flow from the input conduit 10. The angular momentum is conserved as the control flow spirals inwardly so that the angular velocity of the control flow increases. The flow from the conduit 10 is trapped in the center of the rapidly spinning control flow emanating from the control port 23. The effect is to make the fluid flowing from the output more easily captured by the output conduit 11 thereby providing a greater output signal P to the utilization apparatus 29.

Referring now to FIG. 2, characteristic curves of output pressure P versus input pressure P, at constant control pressure P with control signal P absent is shown. The lowermost curve is with control signal P absent and corresponds to the curve for a conventional turbulence amplifier, i.e., two collinear conduits such as 10 and 11 with no hollow cylinder 13 therebetween. The curve rises in the laminar region until a peak is reached and then falls as transition to turbulent flow occurs after which the curve again rises as the turbulent flow increases.

As control pressure P is increased with the input pressure P held constant, the output pressure P rises. Further, the maximum output pressure P increases as the control pressure P is increased. The amount that P is increased diminishes as higher values of P are reached.

FIG. 3 shows a plot of output pressure P versus control pressure P at constant control pressure P and constant input pressure P P and P are such that the flow is laminar. When P is applied, the laminar flow is disrupted and becomes turbulent. The lowermost curve is for P absent and corresponds to the curve for a turbulence amplifier as explained above.

For the operation of the present invention as an OR device or an AND device, refer again to FIG. '2. Assume that the pressures are adjusted so that the vortex amplifier is operating at point A on curve Pc4. If the control pressure is removed, the operating point falls to point B on curve Pcl. There is an output only when a control signal is present. Multiple control inputs can be provided to sup ply control pres-sure P the presence of any one of which causes an output pressure P thus giving the OR function. If the vortex amplifier is operated so that two or more control signals are required for an output pressure P then the AND function results.

For operation as a proportional amplifier, a constant input pressure P, is supplied to the vortex amplifier. If the 0 amplifier is operating at point P on curve P04 of FIG.

2 and the control pressure P is reduced to zero, the output pressure falls to a value given by point C on curve port 17 more laminar and thus P01. The output pressure P varies proportionally the control pressure P Operation of the vortex amplifier as an improved turbulence amplifier may be understood from FIG. 3. The lowermost lCLll'VB results from the absence of a control pressure P and corresponds to the curve for a turbulence amplifier. The presence of P increases the output pressure P so a higher working pressure can be used. When control pressure P is applied, laminar flow from the output port 17 is disrupted and the flow remains turbulent, thus providing no input into utilization apparatus 29 until P is removed. One or more control conduits 26 can be provided to supply P resulting in a NOR device. Larger diameter input and output conduits can be used as the spinning flow P makes the flow to the output conduit more laminar.

While the invention has been described in its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the words which have been used are words of description rather than of limitation and that changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention in its broader aspects.

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid device comprising (a) vortex chamber means having first and second spaced openings concentric with its axis of symmetry,

(b) a first source of pressure fluid connected to said first opening for providing a first fluid flow,

(c) output conduit means in spaced relation to and cooperative with said second opening,

(d) a first source of control pressure fluid connected to a control port adapted to provide a first control stream for providing a vortex within said chamber cooperative with said first fluid flow for providing a second fluid flow from said second opening along said axis of symmetry,

(e) utilization apparatus connected to said output conduit means responsive to pressure fluid flow captured by said output conduit means,

(f) a second source of control pressure fluid, and

(g) a second control port connected to said second source and disposed between said second opening and said output conduit means and adapted to provide a second control stream for impacting against said second fluid flow to prevent said second flow from being eflective in said utilization apparatus.

2. A pure fluid logic device comprising (a) a lcylindrically shaped chamber defined by a peripheral circular wall bounded by first and second end Wall members concentric with respect to an axis of symmetry,-

(1)) a first input opening centrally disposed in said first wall member and concentric with said axis,

(c) a source of input pressure fluid connected to said first opening for providing a first laminar fluid flow,

(d) a second output opening centrally disposed in said second wall member and concentric with said axis,

(e) a first sounce of control pressure fluid,

(f) a first conduit responsive to said first control source and terminating in a control fluid port in said cirwith cular wall and adapted to provide a first control stream tangentially to said circular wall for producing a vortex within said chamber enhancing said first fluid flow for providing a second fluid from said second opening along said axis of symmetry,

(g) output conduit means in spaced relation to and cooperative with said second opening,

(h) utilization apparatus connected to said output conduit means responsive to pressure fluid flow captured by said output conduit means,

(i) a second source of control pressure fluid, and

(j) a second control port connected to said second source and disposed between said second opening and said output conduit means and adapted to provide a second control stream for impacting against said second fluid flow to prevent said second flow from being effective in said utilization apparatus.

3. A pure fluid logic device comprising (a) a hollow icylindrically shaped chamber having first and second spaced end wall members concentric With respect to its axis of symmetry and a peripheral circular wall,

(b) first and second openings centrally disposed in said first and second spaced end wall members respectively and concentric with said axis of symmetry,

(c) a first source of pressure fluid connected to said first opening for providing a first fluid flow,

(d) output conduit means in spaced relation to and cooperative with said second opening,

(e) a source of control pressure fluid connected to a control port in said wall adapted to provide a control stream for producing a vortex within said chamber cooperative with said first fluid flow for providing a second fluid flow from said second opening along said axis of symmetry,

(f) utilization apparatus connected to said output conduit means responsive to pressure fluid flow captured by said output conduit means,

(g) a second source of lCOIltl'Ol pressure fluid, and

(h) a second control port connected to said second source and disposed between said second opening and said output conduit means and adapted to provide a second control stream for impacting against said second fluid flow to prevent said second flow from being effective in said utilization apparatus.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,381,095 6/1921 Starr 137-815 3,039,490 6/1962 Carlson 137-815 3,075,227 1/1963 Bowles 13781.5 X 3,182,674 5/1965 Horton 137-815 3,203,237 8/1965 Ogren 137-815 X 3,208,463 9/1965 Hurvitz 137-81.5 3,219,048 11/1965 Palmisano 13781.5 3,233,621 2/1966 Manion 13781.5 3,234,955 2/1966 Auger 137-81.5

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner. S, SCOTT, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A FLUID DEVICE COMPRISING (A) VORTEX CHAMBER MEANS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND SPACED OPENINGS CONCENTRIC WITH ITS AXIS OF SYMMETRY, (B) A FIRST SOURCE OF PRESSURE FLUID CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST OPENING FOR PROVIDING A FIRST FLUID FLOW, (C) OUTPUT CONDUIT MEANS IN SPACED RELATION OT AND COOPERATIVE WITH SAID SECOND OPENING, (D) A FIRST SOURCE OF CONTROL PRESSURE FLUID CONNECTED TO A CONTROL PORT ADAPTED TO PROVIDE A FIRST CONTROL STREAM FOR PROVIDING A VORTEX WITHIN SAID CHAMBER COOPERATIVE WITH SAID FIRST FLUID FLOW FOR PROVIDING A SECOND FLUID FLOW FROM SAID SECOND OPENING ALONG SAID AXIS OF SYMMETRY, (E) UTILIZATION APPARATUS CONNECTED TO SAID OUTPUT CONDUIT MEANS RESPONSIVE TO PRESSURE FLUID FLOW CAPTURED BY SAID OUTPUT CONDUITS MEANS, (F) A SECOND SOURCE OF CONTROL PRESSURE FLUID, AND (G) A SECOND CONTROL PORT CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND SOURCE AND DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SECOND OPENING AND SAID OUTPUT CONDUIT MEANS AND ADAPTED TO PROVIDE A SECOND CONTROL STREAM FOR IMPACTING AGAINST SAID SECOND FLUID FLOW TO PREVENT SAID SECOND FLOW FROM BEING EFFECTIVE IN SAID UTILIZATION APPARATUS. 